Going into the office early is essential when you work with people in Japan. While you've been sleeping, your colleagues on the other side of the world have been working. "I go in early and check what's come in from Japan," says Duncan McMath, Toyota Europe's head of product planning. "We do a lot of TV meetings, they're much better than a telephone conference. On the phone you can't tell if they've understood. But obviously face-to-face discussions are always the best, so we're in Japan every six weeks." Visiting Toyota's headquarters gives McMath the opportunity to discuss developments with engineers and to steer the OEM's R&D direction for vehicles bound for Europe.
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